True Leadership Todd Drummond There are so many challenges leaders face within our industry today that are ever-changing and, quite frankly, unprecedented. Whether your position of leadership is overall, departmental, or team level, the challenges are never-ending. Too often in our industry, people are in a position of... Read More June 2021 Issue #13263 Page 29
Has the American Worker Lost the Desire to Hustle? Gary Fleisher Today, thoughts of working on a modular home factory production line isn’t the job many younger Americans want to grow old in. They also do not want to work in many other jobs where “hustle” is a requirement, like restaurants or construction. About 6% of the population or... Read More June 2021 Issue #13263 Page 100
Calculator Preferences—How Does Yours Measure Up? While the biggest question about preferences in our industry isn’t about which calculator truss designers prefer, this month’s topic is just that. Over the past 20+ years, JobLine has run a survey asking Truss Designers what their calculator of choice is. While there are many... Read More March 2021 Issue #13260 Page 82
The Hiring Waves After the 2020 recruiting season just about came to a stop in March, I saw a ray of hope early in November. While I hoped to see the usual limited activity before the holidays, I wasn’t holding my breath. Instead, it came in the form of a tsunami. The first week of November was refreshing,... Read More February 2021 Issue #13259 Page 80
Women Are the Answer to Off-Site Construction’s Skilled Labor Shortage Gary Fleisher The construction industry in the US is facing a shortage of skilled trade laborers but many off-site housing factories are overlooking the opportunity women can bring to the table. The current skilled labor shortage is due to several factors, including the emphasis on getting a four-year... Read More February 2021 Issue #13259 Page 100
The Elusive Production Manager Candidate Recruiting production managers is a huge challenge. It’s not that jobs are unavailable, as we usually have several Production Manager openings at TheJobLine.com. It’s finding qualified and willing candidates. Most often, it’s a problem when the move is lateral. Most... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 88
The Hiring Zone: Do You Know Your Leaders? Back when I was a production worker, in an offsite construction plant, my “Boss” was the Department Supervisor or “Lead Man.” His boss was the Production Manager. The Big Boss was the owner. Simple, clean, easy to understand, until something goes wrong, or you need... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 100
The Hiring Zone: What’s New at the Hiring Zone Recently, there was an article in another publication that talked about workforce resources for members of the structural building components industry. The article included the typical, nationally recognized companies—Indeed, Glass Door, Monster, Zip Recruiter, CareerBuilder, and even... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 96
Why Won’t They Relocate? Over the past few years, remote designers have taken a more prominent seat at the table. Now, it is almost impossible to find a candidate who has the qualifications and fit for your team AND will relocate. Over the years, after WWII and up to the Great Recession, relocation was a tool... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253
The Hiring Zone: Are You Learning Something New About Remote Design Employees? With the coronavirus moving many positions from the business office to the home office, some employers are learning things they never thought possible. One of those things is how remote employees seem to have more time to devote to getting the job done. I spoke to several employers about... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 88